The Vikings quarterback and his offensive teammates went against Jacksonville’s defense Wednesday and will do so again Thursday before the teams play each other at noon (CT) Saturday.

Cousins met with the media after Thursday’s walk-through and said there is an advantage for both teams to practice together, as each side gets better while also getting prepared for regular-season action.

“I think, if anything, it’ll be a greater level of familiarity. It’s the best possible scout team you could ever have leading into a game, to actually go against the defense,” Cousins said. “I’ve only done this once before. It’ll be interesting to see how it feels on Saturday having already related to these guys for a couple of days.

“Certainly in the preseason you’re normally not very familiar, so I think from that standpoint it should be somewhat of a help going into the game,” Cousins said.

It also helps that the Jaguars boast one of the league’s top defenses. Jacksonville finished second in points and yards allowed in 2017, only trailing the Vikings.